Neal has been playing guitar (left-handed!) for over 20 years, and has also worked in various roles within the guitar retail industry since 2012. He started LeftyFretz in 2010. More Info
Ran Guitars is a Polish guitar company who specialise in custom and semi-custom instruments for those who like music of the heavier persuasion. If you’re after a personalised, heavy-rocking beast of a guitar then this could very well be the company for you.
Ran has a small selection of their own guitar designs, all of which are of course available left handed.The guitars are available to purchase in their standard configurations, but if you would like to change a few elements then they are more than happy to hook you up.There is a comprehensive custom order form on the website which should give you a good idea of how creative you can get with these guitars.
Let’s take a look at the standard models available from this Polish brand…
Lakewood Guitars is a German guitar company founded in 1986 by owner Martin Seeliger. The company specialises in producing beautfiful hand-crafted acoustic guitars for musicians all over the world.
As with many other brands who concentrate on acoustic instruments, Lakewood are another fantastic company who produce all of their guitars in a left handed version. When I got in touch with Lakewood they did have a few left handed guitars in stock, but expect to special order if you decide to take the plunge.
There are far too many guitars to display in a single article so I have given a brief overview of the main ranges from Lakewood below. I counted 44 different guitars in total and that doesn’t even include country specific options. There is a sample image for each series but keep in mind that you will find far more guitars and options on the Lakewood website! Let’s take a look…
Lakewood Natural Series Left Handed Acoustic Guitars
Precious woods, pure and untreated, display their natural beauty in the most direct path from the material to the eye of the beholder, reduced to the absolute basics. No more, but no less either, since every guitar in the Natural Series is built to the same high standards of guitar artistry shared by all Lakewood instruments. The language of form allows the materials to speak for themselves. Each instrument is made up of finely tuned elements – a series where less is definitely more.
Lakewood Deluxe Series Left Handed Acoustic Guitars
Tanglewood Guitars is a British guitar brand, founded in 1990 in England by owner Dirk Kommer. Until recently this brand was almost exclusively sold within the UK, however after winning several industry awards the company has expanded and is now distributed in over 35 countries worldwide.
Although primarily known for their fantastic and affordable acoustic guitars, Tanglewood do produce a range of beginner lefty electric guitars and basses of which 5 are currently available left handed. Hopefully we’ll see this range expand as the company grows!
Let’s take a look at what’s on offer from this British company…
Tanglewood TSB 58 CSB LH Left Handed Guitar
BODY Solid Mahogany TOP Flame Maple Veneer NECK (MATERIAL) Mahogany NECK (BUILD) Set Neck FINGERBOARD Rosewood PICKGUARD Cream BINDING Cream ABS Front NUT (WIDTH) Cream ABS (43mm) SCALE LENGTH 630mm MACHINE HEADS Kluson Style with Tulip Buttons HARDWARE Nickel FINISH Cherry Sunburst Gloss PICKUPS 2 x Entwistle Alnico HV58
Framus is a German guitar and amplifier brand which was founded in 1946 by Fred Wilfer. Unfortunately, due to the rapidly changing market at the time, the company was forced into bankruptcy in 1975. However the Framus name was revived in 1995 after being bought by German bass guitar brand Warwick. The company now successfully produces a wide range of high-end guitars and tube amplifiers.
Framus are one of the few bigger name companies out there who are truly ‘lefty friendly’ as they produce nearly all of their guitars in a left handed format at no extra charge. The only guitars which are not available left handed are the Vintage Series and the Earl Slick signature series. Great work from Framus indeed!
There are far too many guitars to fit in a single article so I have broken the choices down into their ‘families’. Descriptions will be brief as the guitars in each family each differ from one another in various ways, so be sure to check out the Framus website for detailed specs. Besides, you just come here for the pretty pictures right? ;)
Framus Panthera Series Left Handed Guitars
The gorgeous singlecut Panthera range from Framus is available in a wide variety of different finishes, wood configurations, bridges, pickup choices, and even has a 7-string model on offer. Check out the Framus website to obtain detailed specs for each different model.
Framus Diablo Series Lefty Guitars
The stunning Diablo range from Framus is available in a wide variety of different finishes, wood configurations, bridges, pickup choices, and even has a 7-string model on offer. Check out the Framus website for the skinny on each different model.
G&L Guitars was founded in California, USA in 1979 by Leo Fender, George Fullerton and Dale Hyat. The company name is formed from the initials of George and Leo. G&L instruments are similar to the classic Fenders, but with a few modern innovations which makes them highly regarded by many musicians and collectors.
As a left handed guitar player it may be difficult getting your hands on a G&L as there are only 3 lefty models on offer from this USA brand. Also take into account that G&L are not very widely distributed so owning one of these could be a rare privilege indeed.
Let’s take a look…
G&L Legacy Left Handed Guitar
PICKUPS 3 Fullerton-made G&L vintage style Alnico V single coil pickups
BODY WOOD Swamp Ash
NECK WOOD Hard Rock Maple with Rosewood fingerboard
NECK RADIUS 9″ (228.6mm)
NECK WIDTH AT NUT 1 5/8″ (41.3mm)
TUNING KEYS 18:1 ratio, sealed-back
BRIDGE G&L Dual Fulcrum vibrato with nickel plated die-cast saddles
CONTROLS 5 position pickup selector, volume, PTB system
FINISH 3-Tone Sunburst with Tortoise Shell pickguard
Timber Tones Plectrums are a new type of luxury guitar pick which are designed and sold within the UK. What makes these picks different from most others is that each one is finely crafted from one of 18 different exotic woods from around the world, with each having their own unique tone.
Each pick is shaped by machine to exacting specifications, which ensures that the only difference between each one is the wood that they are created from. Once they come off the production line each Timber Tone goes through a quality control checklist to ensure that they are up to scratch. After passing this initial scrutiny the picks are treated with wax which seals the wood and gives them a more grippy texture. Finally each pick is given a generous coating of Tung oil to help enhance the wood’s natural beauty.
“You’ve treated yourself to high end guitar equipment, now treat yourself to one of the best plectrums money can buy…” – TimberTones
I was sent a couple of sample packs of Timber Tones to try out and I’ve been busy putting them through their paces over the last couple of weeks. I was given an electric sample pack which contained four picks for electric guitar, and an acoustic sample pack which contained four picks for acoustic guitar…
The Electric Timber Tones
The Timber Tones included in the electric package were made from some of the harder woods on offer. The hardness of each wood is calculated using the Janka scale which measures the force required to embed an 11.28mm steel ball into wood to half the ball’s diameter. Included in the electric package were Lignum Vitae (4500), African Ebony (3320), Sonokeling (3080) and Bloodwood (2990). Take a look at some more detailed images below…
The hardest of the lot is the Lignum Vitae pick – my dad told me they used to make ship propeller shaft bearings out of this! It’s also very, very smooth, despite the rather crazy looking patterns and ridges running over it.
Most people will know what the African Ebony will feel like considering that it is used on many fingerboards. Due to its very tight grain it is as smooth as a button between the fingers.
Six months ago I would have had no idea what a V-Pick was, but right now it is damn near impossible to visit a guitar website or forum and not find someone raving over these seemingly magical little picks. I recently contacted Vinni at V-Picks.com and he was kind enough to send me over a sample pack to try out for myself. Let’s see what all the fuss is about!
V-Picks are made from a special type of acrylic which gives them a very slick, transparent appearance. But aside from looking great, the main advantage to this material is the grip, or ‘grippage’ as the guys at V-Picks like to call it. These little chaps have grip by the bucket load, but that’s not to say they’re too sticky – the balance is just perfect. Their tagline of ‘never drop your pick again’ seems to be spot on!
A further innovative feature on most of the V-Pick variations is their three-sided composition. The pick is designed so that you can hold it from any one of the sides, as each corner is the same as the other. A typical model will cost a little more than your average brand name pick, but when you consider that you are actually getting three picks in one, these suddenly become excellent value for money.
So let’s take a look at these wondrous plectrums already! My sample pack included five different picks and I have given a brief outline of each below.
Medium Ultra Lite Pointed
At 0.75mm this was the thinnest pick I was sent. Its slight flexibility makes it great for acoustic guitar and the pointed tips help to provide a bright, snappy, well articulated tone. These are also available in small and large sizes as well as in a beautiful ruby red color.
Thoughts: My new acoustic pick of choice! This little gem sounds absolutely dreamy both for simple strumming and more complex arpeggios. The added grip makes them ideal for those times when you really let rip and are going to town with your strumming. It sounds great on my Donner DAG-1C acoustic.
Medium Lite Pointed
This pick is very similar to the Ultra Lite series with the main difference being that they are twice as thick at 1.5mm. They produce a tone which is slightly fuller than the Ultra Lites as you would expect from a thicker pick. A fantastic jack-of-all-trades! Also available in small, large and freakishly large sizes.
Mensinger are a custom guitar and bass company based in Poland who produce some absolutely stunning handcrafted instruments. Every guitar they produce is available left handed and each one is fully customizable within reason at a price that will blow you away…
If you already missed it, go and check out the Left Handed Mensinger Guitars Part 1 article to see some of the more traditional models. This article will take a look at some of the more crazy designs to emerge from the Mensinger workshop. Ever fancied a guitar which is also a bass? Or perhaps a model which satisfies both your 6 and 7-string needs? Mensinger probably have you covered… ;)
Again, the Mensinger website is only available in Polish so I have tried my best to translate a few basic details about each guitar. To learn more I would recommend contacting Adrian at Public Peace (link below) for a speedy reply.
Mensinger Beast Left Handed Guitar
The Beast is one of the latest models from Mensinger which offers the combination of both guitar and bass to unlock a variety of different sonic possibilities. The instrument is constructed in such a way that the guitar and bass have independent electronic circuits and input jacks which gives the possibility of separating the signals into two different amps.
